Bonnie Jean Peabody Gordon

Bonnie was born Nov. 17, 1925, to Ruth and Wilbur Peabody in Nevada, Mo., and grew up on the family farm, where she began her love of animals and gardening. After high school, she attended nurses training at Washington University in St. Louis, a highlight in her life. She not only loved nursing, but made lifelong friends and went to reunions as long as she was able. She also met and married Dr. Bernard Gordon and moved to Baltimore, Md., where she had two children, Gerald and Jan.

Being a mother was another highlight and something she did with much love. She took great pleasure in making holidays and birthdays memorable, picking out special gifts, useful and silly. Making bunny cakes and fun decorations. Gerald appreciated his very chilly swimming lessons that helped him enjoy the water and scuba diving. Jan remembers many concerts with her mom, including the Beatles.

Bonnie and Jan moved to Columbia, Mo., in 1964 to be closer to family. Bonnie worked at Ellis Fischell Hospital as an OR nurse, and loved her work. Again, she made many friends and was good about keeping track, writing lots of letters and visiting when she could. She also helped her parents and aunts. She was very close with her father and his wife, Doris, and her aunt, Virgie Lou Bogart.

Bonnie had a real spirit of fun and adventure and liked to travel. She visited her children whenever she could, wherever they were including a very rustic hippy commune on Orcas Island, Wa. She also went to Hawaii, Disneyland and Disney World, Switzerland, and wherever the nurses were having reunions. She could roll with punches and be a good sport in challenging situations, have a good time and make people feel comfortable around her.

Bonnie liked toys, particularly stuffed animals and gathered quite a collection, then discovered Beanie babies and fell in love.

Musicals were another pleasure, from "South Pacific" to "Cats." She also endured her daughter practicing endlessly for her parts in "Bye Bye Birdie" without complaint.

As her health was waning, she moved to Pittsboro, N.C., to be close to Gerald. She made trips to Washington to visit Jan when she could and went went whale and eagle watching. In N.C. she like doing anything that involved ice cream. Again, she made friends and kept in touch with the old ones, but most of her friends and family are gone. I hope she meets up with them. For a long time she has been wanting to go home and see her parents and the farm. Bonnie died peacefully Saturday, May 21, 2016, at home surrounded by hospice nurses and her loving son after lengthy illnesses. She will be very missed.

Please join us for a celebration of Bonnie's life at 10:30 a.m., June 28, Cambridge Hills, 140 Brookstone Lane, Pittsboro, N.C.